We build done-for-you AI workflows that read your emailed RFQs, POs and invoices, prepare the quote, the order-entry fields and the payment follow-up, and put a person in your team in charge of every approval.
For owner-operated distributors and light-industrial suppliers at roughly $1M–$20M in revenue. Projects typically $5k–$25k; scope and price are confirmed after the review. See the four workflows.
In many distributors, information arrives as email, PDF and spreadsheet, then gets re-keyed into the ERP or accounting system by whoever has a spare ten minutes. The costs show up elsewhere:
An RFQ sits in a shared inbox while someone finds the right item numbers and pricing. The buyer asks the next supplier too.
"Do you have it, and when can it ship?" waits on whoever can check inventory and open POs, then reply.
Follow-up depends on someone remembering. Past-due balances age quietly until month-end.
Most engagements start with one or two of these and are shaped around how your team already works. Each example below is an illustration of the pattern. We are not presenting client results, and outcomes in your business depend on your volumes, data and processes.
A rep opens each RFQ email, reads the PDF, looks up item numbers, checks the price list, and builds the quote from scratch in the ERP or a spreadsheet.
The request is read automatically, line items are matched to your catalog, and a draft quote is prepared using your pricing rules. Unclear lines are flagged for the rep.
Customer POs arrive in different formats. Office staff retype the customer, ship-to, part numbers, quantities and requested dates into the order screen.
Each PO is turned into a clean set of order-entry fields, checked against the customer record and quote, with mismatches (price, quantity, terms) highlighted.
Someone exports an aging report when they remember, then writes individual reminder emails. Some accounts get chased, some don't.
Overdue invoices are picked up from your accounting data and matched to a follow-up sequence with polite, consistent wording. Replies and promised-pay dates are logged for you.
The owner asks for numbers, someone assembles quotes out, open orders, and receivables from three places, and the answer arrives days later.
A short weekly email summarizes open quotes, orders waiting on entry, aging receivables and items needing a decision, with links back to the source records.
Which workflows make sense, and how deep each one goes, depends on your systems and documents. We confirm that in the review, not on this page.
Here is how a single emailed request moves through the system and where a person decides. The walkthrough below uses made-up documents, so you can see the shape of the work before we ever see yours.
Text version of the diagram: 1 RFQ arrives, 2 fields extracted and matched, 3 draft quote with flags, 4 rep reviews and edits (can return the draft for fixes), 5 manager sign-off if outside your rules, 6 rep sends the quote, 7 logged for follow-up.
From: purchasing@customer-a.example To: sales@yourcompany.example Subject: RFQ - fasteners and fittings, need by the 14th Hi team, Please quote the following, delivered to our main plant: - 500 pcs hex bolt, 1/2-13 x 2", Grade 8, zinc - 200 pcs 1/2" flat washer, USS - 40 pcs 3/4" NPT brass ball valve - 25 pcs the 3/8" hose barb we ordered last time Can you do Net 30? Need pricing and lead time. Thanks, Buyer, Customer A
Invented email. Real requests are usually messier: attachments, forwarded threads, abbreviations, and part numbers from the customer's own system.
| Field | Value found | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Customer | Customer A | Matched to account on file |
| Ship-to | "our main plant" | Matches default ship-to |
| Needed by | "the 14th" | Month not stated, confirm |
| Payment terms asked | Net 30 | Account on file is Net 15 |
| Line items | 4 lines | Matched against item list in the next step |
| # | Requested | Matched item | Qty | Unit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hex bolt 1/2-13 x 2" Gr 8 zinc | SAMPLE-HB-0500 | 500 | $0.42 | Matched, list price |
| 2 | 1/2" flat washer, USS | SAMPLE-WS-0500 | 200 | $0.06 | Matched, list price |
| 3 | 3/4" NPT brass ball valve | SAMPLE-BV-075 | 40 | $14.80 | On hand covers 32 of 40, confirm ETA for the rest |
| 4 | "the 3/8" hose barb we ordered last time" | Two possible matches in order history | 25 | n/a | Unmatched, no price drafted |
Lines 1–3 subtotal in this example: $814.00 (500 × $0.42 + 200 × $0.06 + 40 × $14.80). Line 4 is pending, so the draft is marked incomplete and cannot be sent as-is.
The rep sees the draft next to the original email, with every flag in one place. In this example they would:
Net 30 differs from the account's Net 15, which falls outside the example rule, so the quote is routed to a manager for sign-off before the rep can send it. Once approved, the rep sends the quote and the approval is logged.
All names, rules and numbers are examples. Your catalog, pricing logic, terms policy and thresholds are set during discovery and written into the scope.
This walkthrough shows a pattern, not a performance claim. How much of your RFQ volume can be handled this way depends on how consistent your documents are and how clean your item and customer data is. We assess that with sample documents in the review.
Timing depends on scope and on how quickly sample documents and system access are available. We confirm a schedule in writing before any work starts.
A single, well-defined workflow sits at the lower end. Several connected workflows across messy documents and older systems sit toward the upper end. The range is a guide, not a quote.
Scope and price are confirmed in writing after the 30-minute operations review and a look at your documents and systems. No obligation to proceed.
We don't promise a specific return or number of hours saved. What's realistic depends on your volumes and processes, and we'll talk it through honestly.
Third-party software and usage fees (for example AI or automation platform subscriptions) are separate from the build fee. We'll identify them during the review so there are no surprises.
For the review, nothing beyond a conversation. If we proceed, we start with a few anonymized or sample documents (an RFQ, a PO, an invoice) and a description of your ERP or accounting tool. Where system access is needed, we ask for the narrowest access that does the job, read-only where possible, and you grant and can revoke it. What access is needed is written into the scope before we begin.
For anything customer-facing or anything that changes a record, that's how we design it by default: the system drafts, your people approve. Quotes are reviewed before they're sent, order fields are confirmed before entry, and collections reminders can require sign-off. If you later decide a low-risk step can run on its own, that's your decision to make, and we'll set it up deliberately.
The intent is that you do. The workflows, prompts, templates and documentation built for you are handed over, and tool accounts are set up in your name where practical, so you aren't locked to us. Exact ownership and handover terms are confirmed in the written scope.
No. Delivery is tooling-agnostic: we work with what you run today, whether that's an ERP, QuickBooks or another accounting package, shared inboxes, or spreadsheets. How deep an integration can go depends on what your tools allow. In some cases the first version uses imports or exports rather than a live connection, and we'll tell you if that's the case.
No, and we'd be wary of anyone who does without seeing your operation. The examples on this page, including the sample walkthrough, are illustrations of how the workflows work. In the review we'll look at your volumes and where the manual effort actually sits, so you can judge the value for yourself.
It will occasionally misread a document. That's why we test on your past examples, flag uncertain lines instead of guessing, and keep a person in the approval step. Handling exceptions is part of the build, not an afterthought.
We reply by email to set a time. The 30 minutes covers your current workflow, your systems and where the biggest bottleneck is. Afterwards you receive a recommendation on whether a project makes sense and, if so, a written scope and price. If it doesn't make sense, we'll say so.
A few details help us prepare. We'll reply by email, usually to confirm a time. Scope and price are confirmed after the review, and there's no obligation to proceed.
Prefer email? julien@relaycairn.com
Thanks. We'll reply by email, usually to confirm a time for the 30-minute review. Scope and price are confirmed after the review, with no obligation to proceed.
Need to add something? Email julien@relaycairn.com.